Hi X,
sadly, some connectors and pins are missing, could you give me please a specification for them?
Thanks
sadly, some connectors and pins are missing, could you give me please a specification for them?
- 1 three-pin connector for the amp board LED connection
- 1 two-pin connector for the buffer board ground or power wire
- 4 short pins (two for the above connector, two for the other identical two-pin connector on the buffer board)
Thanks
On the amp I gave you the basic pins for power, audio in, and speaker out. If you want to connect all features you need to have Molex KK 2 and 3 pin connectors on hand. For the BTSB it uses JST XH 2.54mm pitch connectors. 2 pin and 3 pin. The reason they are different is to prevent the incorrect ends from being used between the two.
This should solve your connectors issue for JST or 100 like it.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_msiK61Q
the KK connectors are ubiquitous.
This should solve your connectors issue for JST or 100 like it.
https://a.aliexpress.com/_msiK61Q
the KK connectors are ubiquitous.
Thanks X, I ordered some spares.
In the meantime I could save some pins from an old PC so the wiring is almost completed, I only wait for the two connectors (LEDs and buffer safety earth)
Two questions left
Thanks in advance!
In the meantime I could save some pins from an old PC so the wiring is almost completed, I only wait for the two connectors (LEDs and buffer safety earth)
Two questions left
- Is the dedicated safety earth/grounding of the buffer board strictly required or can I power up the amp without it? Will do the grounding later when the connector arrives.
- Connection of the speaker terminal with faston connectors: A out left +, B out left-, C out right +, D out right -; is it correct? (not sure that C and D are correct)
Thanks in advance!
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Hi,
I would like to show you my newborn XW-1 amp
X stands for X - thank you for making this amp possible to build, W stands for Warp as a little indication of the lineage 🖖
I wanted to go "a lot in" even if not all in, so...
The internal wiring is silver-plated OFC copper, from Elecaudio, with different strengths, for the small signals I used pure OFC copper cable. The blue output cable is a Furutech Alpha-S14 speaker cable with µ-OFC copper alpha treatment. The power connector is a Furutech NFC, the fuse is a Synergistic Research Purple. The speaker terminals are Viborg BP604(G).
I've always wanted an amp with a retro VU meter - now I've made it happen, using two TEK indicators including a driver board. The chassis started life as a Modushop Galaxy, in the end only the base plate and side plates remained. An 8 mm aluminum plate was mounted on the base plate, which serves as a heat sink for the amp board and also the MicroAudio SMPS. As always, I ordered the two piece front panel, back panel and cover panel from Schaeffer AG in Germany, and I created the design with their front panel designer.
Well, there he is.
I would like to show you my newborn XW-1 amp
X stands for X - thank you for making this amp possible to build, W stands for Warp as a little indication of the lineage
🖖I wanted to go "a lot in" even if not all in, so...
The internal wiring is silver-plated OFC copper, from Elecaudio, with different strengths, for the small signals I used pure OFC copper cable. The blue output cable is a Furutech Alpha-S14 speaker cable with µ-OFC copper alpha treatment. The power connector is a Furutech NFC, the fuse is a Synergistic Research Purple. The speaker terminals are Viborg BP604(G).
I've always wanted an amp with a retro VU meter - now I've made it happen, using two TEK indicators including a driver board. The chassis started life as a Modushop Galaxy, in the end only the base plate and side plates remained. An 8 mm aluminum plate was mounted on the base plate, which serves as a heat sink for the amp board and also the MicroAudio SMPS. As always, I ordered the two piece front panel, back panel and cover panel from Schaeffer AG in Germany, and I created the design with their front panel designer.
Well, there he is.
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Looks fantastic, I was not expecting that! I typically use silicone 12awg/4.0mm2 wire in my amps, never thought about using some furutech I may have to try it. I use Furtech FS-a36 speaker cable on my main system, and all my interconnects are FA-aS22, I love their cables. I tried to follow your wiring but got lost in the twists, where are the VU meters getting signal from? What's the grounding jack on the back connecting to internally? I would have assumed the main grounding bolt but it looks like you terminated it elsewhere.
I've been often debated whether or not I should give it a go using Front Panel Express (a Schaffner company in Seattle) and I think you might have just convinced me.
I've been often debated whether or not I should give it a go using Front Panel Express (a Schaffner company in Seattle) and I think you might have just convinced me.
Huhh... the listening test started with a scare, there was a distinct beep... fortunately I quickly determined that it was caused by the Korg B1 preamp, for whatever reason. Switched to the Iron Pumpkin, the amp is incredibly silent, wow, I hadn't experienced anything like that with any other amp.
The sound... although the amp is new and the whole system is cold, the first thing that strikes me is the incredible detailing. No, the amp is not analytical, it just represents everything that the recording contains. He doesn't add anything either, although I'm now hearing/discovering details that I was previously unaware of - especially with acoustic instruments.
The second thing I notice is the bass richness, very deep but at the same time very controlled and not bloated - it gives me goosebumps, which is a good sign. The amp is very fast, impulses, transients - as far as I can tell - are reproduced extremely quickly and accurately.
The mids are beautifully open and present without being overdone or fatiguing. Allan Taylor is standing in front of me, the vocals are clear and not lost in the music like I've sometimes experienced.
The highs are crystal clear and become clearer with increasing playing time (= temperature), age, etc. of the amp. They are very nicely defined, great. Not a trace of exaggeration, overemphasis, they are never tiring or harsh.
The stage is wide, deep and high, I'm thrilled.
The overall sound character is on the more neutral or natural side, the amp does not offer warmth or sugar sweetness, but does not lack them at all. If you still need warmth, you should operate the amp with the tube preamp
(kit available soon ). I was able to listen to a top-of-the-line system on Tuesday with friends (with Spectral monos for 65,000 dollars with M.I.T. cable for 45,000, Wilson Audio... and so on) and the behavior of the amp reminds me a little of what I heard there, as far as the neutral and incredibly pleasant music-making is concerned. Comparison with Class A? Tedious, it's more a matter of taste. I like Class A, but when listening to this Class D amp I don't miss anything. And that speaks for this amp.
Overall - great! I'm going to try different preamps and speakers now - if that's not fun!
Thank you X!
Here a picture with my self-developed open baffle
@Vunce @bloqhed many thanks, glad you like it! 
The VU meters driver will get the signal from the speaker terminals (but it's also possible to feed it with low signals) - they are not connected yet, I wanted to try the amp first
The grounding jack is connected to the PSU's gnd, which is the common gnd of the whole amp. Externally it is connected to a Synergistic Research grounding block.
The VU meters driver will get the signal from the speaker terminals (but it's also possible to feed it with low signals) - they are not connected yet, I wanted to try the amp first
The grounding jack is connected to the PSU's gnd, which is the common gnd of the whole amp. Externally it is connected to a Synergistic Research grounding block.
Thank you for the kind words, Istvan. Your open baffle speakers look superb - nicely done. I’m sure the sound is amazing and glad that the XW-1 delivers the goods.
The quietness of this amp is something I worked very hard to achieve, and as you say, there isn’t another amp I have heard that’s as quiet with no music playing.
The noise floor FFT shows about -125dB = silence.
The quietness of this amp is something I worked very hard to achieve, and as you say, there isn’t another amp I have heard that’s as quiet with no music playing.
The noise floor FFT shows about -125dB = silence.
